Pianoforte



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER HALL, OF LLOYDSVILLE, OHIO.

PIANOFORTE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,456, dated January 24, 1854.

To all whomz't may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER HALL, of Lloydsville, in the county of Belmont and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianofortes, and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes them from all other things before kno-wn and of the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention and improvement consists in a new mode of playing the piano in octave accompaniments, by one and the same key, and in playing one or mo-re octaves at one and the same time at pleasure. And also in combination with my mode of accomplishing this desirable object, I have invented a new arrangement of dampers by which I can at pleasure introduce the octave notes, omit them, or use them separately. I am aware that great and various eorts have been made to introduce the octaves upon the piano beyond the reaching power of the fingers, and from the great brilliancy of effect produced by such a performance, it has become such a desideratum that great artists have even resorted to extra or artis- |tic fingers attached to and controlled by the movements of the hand for this purpose. Notwithstanding, however the importance of the subject, I believe that at present, no such pianos are in use, in consequence of the great complication of the instrument introduced by devices to accomplish this purpose, and also from the greater hardness or heaviness of the touch. By my improvement I have attained the most extensive capabilities for the piano forte with very great simplicity.

Figure l is a plan of the instrument giving a top view of the strings, bridges, and dampers, with their attachments to the frame and the position of the hammer heads. Fig. 2 is an elevation in perspective of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one of the extra bridges.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

My modes of accomplishing the said improvements are illustrated as follows. In order to obtain the octave notes, I employ two or more extra bridges, B, O, arranged upon the sounding board-1n front of the bridge at present 1n use-upon which the respective strings to produce the octave notes have their bearings. These bridges are arranged a suitable distance apart, and are provided with notches or depressions, al, al, etc., over which pass the leading strings, or

the ordinary strings for piano fortes; and.

the bearings b1, b1, on these bridges are for the octave strings. Thus there are four strings to each set, or each hammer, as shown in the drawings, two leading strings and two octave strings. The number of octave or leading strings may be varied at pleasure. The strings bearing upon the bridge B, are tuned an octave above the leading strings, and those bearing upon the bridge C, are tuned an octave above those bearing on bridge B, for each set.

The leading strings are represented by s1, s1, and the first and second octaves for the same set by S8, and S15 respectively. The arrangement of these octave strings, one on each side of the leading strings, gives room and facility for damping the octaves one or both at pleasure, by the contrivance next to be described. Two damper bars, e, cl, are connected with the frame work of the instrument by means of the levers 77 h, jointed or plvoted at z', 'L'. These dampers extend across the piano and are for the purpose of damping the octaves at pleasure. Damper e, is for the set of the first octave strings, S15, and damper cl, is for the second octave strings S8 By my arrangement of the strings and dampers, it will be seen that the first octaves for different sets of strings coming into proximity, may be reached by the dampers f, f, in the most simple and convenient manner-and the same is true o the second octave strings S8, and dampers g, g, these two octave strings to each set, being alternately changed to the right and left of the leading strings for that purpose, as will be seen by the drawings; The hammer heads, c1, c1, strike all four of the strings in the set, but those which are damped do not sound. It may be remarked here, that the position of the dampers may be reversed, and they may be made to bear upward from below the strings instead of above as at present. This will of course be understood by any piano forte maker. Y

In forte passages the damper belonging to the strings 88 S8, can be raised, together with the usual dampers of the piano forte, and in fortissimo passages, all the dampers can be raised at once, and thus produce a splendid and uncommon effect. But the great beauty of this improvement s to be found in its rich Variety of combination. The performer can play upon the leading strings as usual, or upon the leading strings and the first octave, or upon the leading strings and the second octave, or upon all three combined, and a performance thus achieved Which Will equal in effect that of three performers at once. The strings are attached to the tuning pins, in the tuning block D, and to pins at the other end of the frame of the' piano, and pass over and rest upon the bearing plate b, and bridge A, after the manner of common pianos.

The hammers 01, c1, are of common construction and operation, and so also are the pedal rods c2, c2, Well as all other parts of the piano fort-e not described.

I do not claim the employment of eXtra strings or eXtra bridge or bridges for the introduction of the lower octave notes as they are set forth in the patent of Simeon Draper granted J une 20th 1845, in Which an eXtra bridge is used outside the regular bridge thereby elongating the instrument, but I shall confine my claim to the upper octave strings, and bridges therefor, placed Within the usual bridges of the piano forte.

Therefore What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent arel. The mode substantially as herein described, of introducing upper octave notes in piano fortes, said mode consisting essentially in the employment of eXtra strings and eXtra bridges, as set forth, so that the performer can play in one or more octaves at the saine time with the same facility as he could execute ordinary music on the common piano.

2. I claim the arrangement of the dampers for the octaves, in combination with the alternate changes of the two upper octave strings to the right and left of the leading strings in each set, for the purposes and substantially in the manner set forth.

WVM. GREENOUGH, ToLMIE CAMPBELL. 

